Small Business Support For Those On A Tight Budget

Nobody starts on top. You have to find ways to overcome the one obstacle that every entrepreneur has in the beginning.

The obstacle for many people is getting their business marketed on a tight budget. Being creative can help you get through on a tight budget and by answering some of these creative questions you can learn how to do it.

Questions such as:

1) How could I...

A different question to get started with:

2) Who could assist me with This is a great question. Who could assist me with

How about:

3) Who might exchange for ?

Here's another one:

4) Could I do this cheaper? or How would I be able to do this faster? or Could I do it with less effort? or Is there a way to do this for free? That question will really get your creative juices going.

Try and answer this question:

5) How could I substitute 'XYZ' for 'ABC'? How could I substitute 'X' for 'Y'? Or whatever you want to do. What could I substitute for 'XYZ'?

This next one is a great one because it puts you in the shoes of other people, someone who is thinks completely different than you.

6) If I was so-and-so, how would I solve this problem?

Here is an example: How would my wife solve this problem? How would my mentor, child, neighbor solve this problem? By asking yourself this question you really have to look at things from a different perspective.

I've answered these business questions myself and it has allowed doors to open in every direction, propelling my career to new heights and success to be and continued to be achieved.

Let me give you a small example about how I used this creative way of questioning.

I decided to become a professional speaker as soon as I was done University. My focus was speaking to college and high school students about the topic of creativity. I focused on creativity because with it I was able to move from a first year failure in University to graduating being named Most Outstanding Male with straight A's. I changed a lot between how I did things in first year to my last year, and I credit a lot of it to learning something I had become very passionate about, creative thinking.

Even though I had decided that this is what I wanted to do, I had no idea about becoming a professional speaker, or if I could turn it into a profitable business.

To try and learn the ropes I joined an organization called CAPS, The Canadian Association for Professional Speakers.

I remember going to one of the local chapter meetings and there was one guy there that was doing very well in his speaking career and I asked him, "What do I need to do to get to your level?" And he said, "Well Stu, it's very simple. I'm going to give you three things to do. When you've done all three, then come back to me and I'll give you some more." I said, "Okay."

"The first thing you need to do is surround yourself with people who are in the same industry as yourself. Join CAPS, it will help your business grow." I said, "Okay."

In order to join CAPS it cost $200, which at that time was a squeeze. Thinking back on it I remember paying for it on payments in order to be able to do it. I did number though, I joined CAPS.

The second thing he said I had to do was, "Get out to the CAPS National Conference." As much as I wanted to go, it was on the other side of Canada, which meant more costs on top of the relatively expensive conference fee. At this point everything was expensive for me as I had no money. To get there I would have to pay for my flight, accommodations and everything else.

It was at this point that I knew I had to start asking myself some creative questions. I knew I didn't have much, but I began looking at what I did have, or could do that perhaps someone else might be interested in.

What I had at the time was time itself. I wasn't speaking very often because I had just started my speaking business, so I had some time on my hands.

It was at this moment I asking myself, "How could I use my time to help someone else?" By answering that question I came up with, 'Help Stu Be Like You,' a campaign to help me get to the National Conference.

But here was the concept and here's what happened. I approached the biggest chapter of the CAPS organization in my province and I asked for 30 seconds in front of the whole group. There were about 75 of them.

No one had asked for this before. I asked a question that got everyone's hands in the air. It was, "How many of your, at one point, started off as a speaker with no experience?"

"Awesome," I said. "Keep your hand up if you have ever attended the CAPS national conference before." Seventy-five percent of the group kept their hands up.

I continued, "With experiencing the national conference, how many of you with your hands up belief that it would be beneficial for somebody with zero experience to go to?" Everyone who had been kept their hands up.

My reply was, "Great. Well I am somebody that obviously needs to go to the CAPS national conference because I have zero experience."

I continued by saying, "But, here is where I run into difficulty. I don't have any money, just time. Here is the exchange I am willing to make and I hope you are to. 'Help Stu Be Like You' is a campaign that I have created." At this point I handed out a small flyer to everyone in the audience. It basically was a 8x6 black and white flyer that I had printed at home on 8-1/2 x 11 sheets and cut down the middle to save on costs.

I said, "Here's what I'm willing to do. I'm willing to do all the dirty work that you speakers don't like doing or don't have time to do. I will make sales calls for you. I will write sales letters for you. I will lick stamps for you. I will cut your grass. I'll even wipe your baby's bottom, if that's what you want me to do, for a financial contribution of your choice."

Surveying the audience at this point, I could tell some people's minds were racing with all the odd jobs they could get me to do for cheap.

I finished up by saying, "Whatever you don't like doing I will do, in exchange for an financial contribution of your choice. Everything I make from this campaign will go directly towards getting me out to the CAPS national conference."

As I was finishing up a gentleman in the back of the room stood up. I thought he had a question but instead he said, "Stu, I will take care of your seminar entrance fee." Half of my costs, just like that, were basically taken care of.

Immediately following that, another gentleman stood up and he said, "Stu, and I will pay for the cost to get you out there." Boom, boom. Eighty-five percent of all of my expenses were taken care of just like that.

My friends, it's all about being creative.

By asking myself that creative question, I was able to come up with a solution that got me out to the conference and my entrance fee paid for. By the time I got there it had turned into a big story, the national CAPS publication had written a story about me and I had all kinds of people coming up to me asking me questions.

By exploring your creativity ideas will come to you when you need them the most!

Keep your eye out for more!